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Serial killings, crimes against women plague Cleveland, Ohio area

Families of victims gather on Imperial Ave

The Anthony Sowell case has been the most high-profile serial murder case in the Cleveland area in recent memory, but the recent discovery of three bodies in nearby East Cleveland this past weekend has brought the horror back to Northeast Ohio. In this photo, Sakinah A. Malik holds up a collage she made featuring all 11 women found slain in the Imperial Avenue home of Sowell.
(John Kuntz, Plain Dealer file photo)

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Greater Cleveland again has gained international attention for gruesome crimes against women.

In East Cleveland over the weekend, police faced the grisly task of finding and identifying the victims of what may be the area’s latest serial killer. The story was big news on BBC, CNN, network TV news and newspapers across the country Sunday, while reporters waited to hear what police had found.

Three women are dead, and police gave up searching for more victims late Sunday after arresting Michael Madison, 35, a registered sexual offender. Madison, who has not been charged with any crime, indicated he was influenced by Cleveland serial killer Anthony Sowell, East Cleveland Mayor Gary Norton said Sunday. Law enforcement officials later contradicted that assertion.

Sowell killed 11 black women and buried their bodies in and around his Imperial Avenue home in Cleveland. Police found the remains of the women, many of whom had been reported missing, over several days in late 2009. Sowell, also a registered sexual offender, is currently on death row.

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